CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Kudos to Bill Ross, Renae Kimble and John Ceretto for basically telling the New York Power Authority to take their proposed rate hike and stick it up their ass at a public hearing yesterday. It is time Gov. Cuomo turn both barrels on this Authority, eliminate the layers of six figure jobs and make the place run efficiently.

Chairman Mike Townsend should be immediately fired. He led the way in agreeing to let New York State pillage the Power Authority for $550 million and had the gall to say it wouldn't really impact NYPA. Now, Chairman Mike whines that NYPA needs rates increases to generate $480 million to be used to make the nebulous "improvements" at the power plants that we always hear about. (I think improve means hire more cronies, but I could be wrong.)

Hmmm, I'm no fancy, big city lawyer like Chairman Mike, but let's try this logic. If I didn't give New York State $550 million, stolen from the Power Projects in Niagara and Massena, I probably would have the $480 million I need to upgrade these facilities since $480 is less than $550. Makes sense to me. Perhaps they don't teach that in law school.

NYPA should eliminate the layers of patronage in PR, marketing, security guards who really don't secure anything other than a fat paycheck while eating donuts at the front counter, etc. (why does a power company that already has a market for all of its power and is a government agency need any of that) before it asks for another nickel.